Work Text:
“Psst, uh, Master Splinter, are you still up?”
“Michelangelo?” Splinter opened the door to see his son, but rather than the usual mischievous self or at least before the battle nexus rematch a grin full of pride with his happy go-lucky expression, now stood a sheepish turtle “Is there something the matter, my son?”
As he recalled Leonardo was the one who helped Michelangelo for the Battle Nexus rematch which turned into a grudge match but he managed to survive the match. Splinter was slightly worried for Michelangelo with Leonardo’s inner turmoil …anger – Did he get scolded by Leonardo while he was trained? Splinter does not know. He chose not to intervene and told Donnie and Raph not to either. It all worked out just as he prayed for.
“Remember what you said about karma that day, before Battle Nexus? Somehow I can’t stop thinking about ‘karma’...I know it means like, do bad and I got something worse than that, which happened and after the match that day, then I remember the karma book that you have, I want to read if that’s ok with you.
There was a pause between them. Splinter blinks twice and his ears shot up.He raised his right arm and pointed beside his head.
“Get out of my home, ghost,”
“Dad?! It–it’s me, I’m not a ghost, how could you say that?”
“Oh, it is you, Michelangelo, Sorry, I am very sorry my son. It is not like you to request such a thing that I even nearly thought that you were a ghost in disguise. I guess ghosts cannot take form of us mutants”
“Daaaad, I’m not a ghost, I really, really,really, really want to read your karma book. I should’ve come in the morning but I don’t think I really want Leo, Raph and Don weird stares and their ‘lectures’ at me just yet. Especially Raph and Don wait - Leo too.”
Mikey whines and hugs him. Splinter pats his on the shell.
“I am very, very sorry, my son, a similar thing happened to Master Yoshi in the past that I was able to bare witness off, I was merely doing what he did at the time, I guess I did not understand why he did so,”
“Wha…?”
“That is a tale for another time, I will give you the book, but if you want lessons about it, it shall be in the morning, my son.”
“Hai, Dad.”
He bowed.
Splinter takes the karma scroll from the shelf and gives it to him. Mikey’s eyes lit up, smiling, like when he receive a comic but as his hands touch the book, Splinter tightens his grip on it, one more thing:
“Take very care of it, it has notes, hand written by Master Yoshi and his master,”
“Keep it away from Klunk, dirty spaces and everything else, got it. ”
He releases his grip on the book and lets his son take it. They both exchange bows and Mikey returns to his room, walking happily, as if he just got a new comic or a new dvd. Splinter feels no worry for the karma book that he gave to Mikey, perhaps he’ll be more focused in his training, his sons are growing up little by little, and he will grow older little by little, time has passed by without realizing.
As a father, his heart feels heavy for Leonardo’s mental state since Shredder’s defeat, what should he do? What should he tell him? He tries not to worry too much. He’ll work something out, perhaps tomorrow he should meditate with all four of his sons.
Leonardo often meditates in his free time with incense or candle but he did not smell any of it tonight instead there was a small sound woosh from above, only Leonardo’s room had a long piece of worn fabric at the door. Splinter’s ears could only flick at sound from what it seems to be the source of the sound as he closed his eyes and let his body rest for the night.
For a moment, he recalled the tale he had told Michealangelo about, he was surprised that he remembered the spirit bothering Master Yoshi who was bothered by his restless sleep and he stood his ground, telling it to get out of his apartment.
Splinter had no voice back then but his admiration for Yoshi was astonishing as ever. Yoshi, on the other hand, thought that he was frightened by the ghost, he could not bring himself to ‘correct’ him even if he had a voice.
“Have I made the right choice, Master Yoshi? It was yours and Ancient One’s book after all.”
Splinter sat down and gazed at the framed photo of his Master.
“I trust Michelangelo, he has always been a cheeky boy since he was a baby, always have, he can be overconfident when he is confident but he is optimistic and idealistic, I do not worry about him now.”
“If I made a wrong choice, will you come and haunt me?”
The photo said nothing.
“I’m only joking.”
Splinter chuckle.
As he was about to sleep. He heard something from outside of his room. He rather not guess and went to sleep.
____________________________________________________________________________
He just wants to lie down and read the karma book but it seems that Klunk has dominated his bed. And Mikey finds his beloved cat, Klunk, sleeping with her belly up, and her paws almost like she was jumping like a cartoon character yelling ‘yahoo’.
He is laughing, wheezing, clutching his stomach as tears welling up his eyes.
“I-I– can’t believe you sleep– like tha– ’’
He felt something bending against his plastron–The karma book! Mikey immediately pull himself upright, checking the book's condition. Luckily, it did not bend so much. He let out a sigh of relief.
“Good thing you’re ok,”
He looked back at Klunk that slept soundly with an extreme pose, stroking her head before taking the pillow and dropped himself to the extra blanket on the floor. He lay on his stomach comfortably and he read and read throughout the night.
When he had finished reading the book, he looked at the time at the alarm clock on the floor, it is five a.m.
It's Morning already! He should sleep now.
Strange, what time did he ask Splinter to borrow the book again? Like he would know, he did not look at the clock, rather just waiting for his brothers to sleep then went out and ask him for it – but he shook his head, put the karma book on top of his pile of comic books before he sinks his head into the pillow and sleeps in peace.
